Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen, launches coalition op against Houthi rebels

Saudi Arabian forces, joined by nine other countries, have launched a military operation in Yemen against Shiite Houthi rebels, the Saudi ambassador to the US said. The offensive, which started with airstrikes, will also involve “other military assets.”

According to Ambassador Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir, the military
operation in Yemen started at 7 p.m. EST (11 p.m. GMT).

Obama ordered support to Saudi-led op, UN still ‘checking
details’

US President Obama has authorized the provision of logistical and
intelligence support to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-led
military operations in Yemen, the White House said in a
statement, confirming that Washington had close communication
with Hadi, the Saudis and other GCC states prior to the launch of
the military operation.

“While US forces are not taking direct military action in
Yemen in support of this effort, we are establishing a Joint
Planning Cell with Saudi Arabia to coordinate US military and
intelligence support,” the statement said.

Moreover, the White House urged the Houthis to immediately halt
“destabilizing military actions” and to return to
political dialogue with the deposed Yemeni government.

Al Arabiya reported that warplanes of the Royal Saudi Air Force
bombed positions of Yemen’s Houthi militia, targeting their air
defenses.

Reports from the ground indicate that Saudi forces have bombed an
office belonging to Houthi rebels in Sanaa’s Jiraf area. A
Houthi-run TV channel reported dozens of civilian casualties
following airstrikes north of Sanaa.

Residents said that warplanes targeted the capital’s airport,
according to Reuters.

Another warplane attack was said to have been launched on Sanaa’s
Dulaimi military airbase. Al-Jubair told Al Jazeera that Houthi
fighters are in control of Yemeni’s ballistic and heavy weaponry
and could be taking over the country’s air force.

Reports citing Yemeni security services said four Sukhoi jets
stationed at the Dulaimi military airbase were destroyed in
airstrikes. Meanwhile, an Al Arabiya report claimed that
Saudi-led strikes destroyed the airbase along with several
arsenals, as well as taking out most of the rebels’ air defenses.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,
Qatar, and Kuwait issued a joint statement saying that they
“decided to repel Houthi militias, Al-Qaeda and ISIS (Islamic
State) in the country.” The Gulf states said they were
responding to a “major threat” to the stability of the region,
saying that their cause is to “repel Houthi aggression”
in Yemen.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with its allies within the
GCC and outside the GCC..." (cont.)

Al-Jubeir said the 10-country coalition launched the campaign
“to protect and defend the legitimate government” of
Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after his appeal to
intervene.

Hadi’s aide has revealed that the president is “in high
spirits” and has remained at his Aden base in the south of
Yemen. “The president...thanks Gulf countries, Egypt, Jordan,
and Sudan, and all countries in the region,” the director of
Hadi's office, Mohammed Marem, told Reuters. The offensive has
“restored people's determination” to fight against the
Houthis, he said.

Saudi Arabia is planning to commit 100 warplanes and 150,000
soldiers to the Yemen offensive, according to Al Arabiya.
The United Arab
Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan are also willing to
contribute aircrafts, while Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, and Sudan
want to contribute to ground operations.

Egypt is providing political and military support for the
operation, the country’s state media said. Cairo is prepared to
take part in air, naval and ground operations if necessary, the
Egyptian Foreign Ministry has announced.

Media reports said that Jordan, Sudan, Morocco and Pakistan are
also part of the coalition and have offered their support for
military operation in Yemen.

While the Saudi envoy insisted Washington only
“consulted” Riyadh, a US official told Reuters on
condition of anonymity that America has been supporting the
military operation in an unspecified way.

“There is an aggression underway on Yemen and we will
confront it valiantly,” a member of the Houthi political
office, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, told Al Jazeera. “Military
operations will drag the region to a wide war.”

Meanwhile, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told TASS that the UN
is aware of Saudi Arabia launching a military operation in Yemen
and is looking into more details. Just a few hours before the
operation, Haq told journalists that the UN does not believe in
military actions to resolve the conflict in Yemen.

Before the launch of the offensive in Yemen, Houthi militants
claimed to have captured the southern seaport of Aden, President
Hadi’s stronghold. The fighters said the city was under their
control and the president’s supporters were being arrested.

The rebels have announced a 20 million riyal (US$100,000) reward
for Hadi’s capture, after alleging that he fled the country,
Lebanon-based Al-Manar TV reported.

In August 2014, Houthi rebels moved in from the north and
demanded economic and political reforms. In September, they
seized key state installations in Sanaa.

As Houthis took command of the capital last month, the US embassy
closed its operations in Sanaa, while the two rival governments
in the north and south have continued to compete for power. Last
weekend, Shiite rebels seized Yemen’s third largest city Taiz.